Happy Birthday
by Silver Bakura
Summary: Ryo's not having a good birthday, he's depressed and suicidal. Will he be found in time?
1. I: The Suicide

Note: I don't own Yu-gi-oh, or its characters and I get no money from this

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Ryo sat still in his silent house, his head in his hands as his sobs seemed finally to have stopped. So much for his birthday, he thought gloomily raising his head to glance at the thick blanket of blackness surrounding him and the shadows lining the walls. It was so empty, mirroring the loneliness he felt.

He was so lonely it physically hurt, he never realized how much it hurt to be alone. His so-called friends hadn't even remembered it was his birthday, they didn't even call him by his first name. They didn't care about him anyway, the only reason they'd even bothered befriending him before was to keep an eye on his Millennium Ring.

He shivered thinking of the Millennium Item he had once had and the evil spirit it had house, the same spirit which had torn his soul from his body whenever he needed the "vessel," he didn't even care what he was called, Ryo had just been a tool in his evil plans. He was gone now and on one hand that was great but he still found himself missing him, at least he'd never been alone. He was fed up of being alone.

He didn't even have a family anymore, he had lost his precious mother aged five when she died giving birth to his sister. He still missed his mother, she had always loved him, always made him feel safe and loved. He could still see her face smiling at him as she was led away into the delivery room, she had offered him a sweet smile as she tied back her long white hair before saying:

"Don't worry about me Ryo, I'll see you again soon and you can meet your baby sister."

That had been the last time he'd seen her alive, the very last time. Amane had died too, almost seven years later.

He had always tried his best to be a good big brother to her, always tried to be kind to her and keep her safe. She had been his only friend in the world as they were home-schooled by that strict heartless woman Mrs Trentt with two Ts. Ryo sighed thinking of his sister, he used to write letters to her in heaven. How childish, it was his fault she was dead to begin with.

They'd been playing outside, Amane had been chasing a butterfly and he was helping her but the damned thing had flown closer and closer to the road, he hadn't even noticed at the time. He'd tripped on his shoelace and stopped to tie it but Amane had carried on running, he'd looked up to see her run in front of a truck. It had hit her before he could even open his mouth to scream her name.

The driver didn't even stop, Ryo had ran to her but she was already dead. Her fragile body a mere broken heap in a pool of scarlet blood, she was dead too. Mrs Trentt had been furious with him, his father upon returned from Egypt had been livid. He'd been screamed at so much, each word another burden of guilt to bear for the rest of his life.

He'd never been close to his father, he was always away on business which was obviously more important to him than his family. He hadn't been there when his wife had died, nor his daughter and he didn't exactly like Ryo. Ryo was too sensitive, not good enough at sports, not smart enough in school… than there were the more serious things like reminding him too much of his wife and blaming him for Amane's death. The visits had become less frequent, in fact Ryo hadn't seen him since he'd moved to America. Now he'd never see him again.

He reached out for the letter he'd received from Egypt and re-read the awful words again:

Dear Mr Bakura,

We regret to inform you an unfortunate incident occurred on site, some scaffolding broke and fell on some of our workers. Unfortunately your father was one of the ones injured and died within a few minutes. We are very sorry for your loss.

He scrunched up the letter and threw it across the room, the rest was about contact information regarding personal possessions and his father's body. Just because they hadn't been close didn't mean he didn't care about his father because he did, had. In fact it was worse, he'd never be able to make things right with him now.

Ryo sighed solemnly and looked again at the creepy shadows lining the walls, so empty, so alone. He didn't want to be here but he didn't want to burden his supposed friends, he wondered if they'd care his father was dead. Probably not he thought sadly, if he was so unimportant to them they didn't remember his birthday than they wouldn't care about this.

He wasn't used to having friends anyway, obviously he wasn't very good at it. He'd been home-schooled until America and then he'd been bullied mostly, white hair and British accents apparently weren't cool. Being friends with the King of Games had ended that, now he was ignored. Sometimes he honestly wondered if he was invisible, he'd been so miserable lately he found it hard to be himself anyway.

He was terrified, even though the Millennium Items were gone, he was still terrified the spirit would return for its "vessel," being forced from your body was one of the worst experiences of his life and being sent to the horror of the Shadow Realm was another. He was scared of those things and scared that he was secretly evil inside and that the spirit was him.

It sounded so stupid he hadn't told anyone, he didn't intend to. They'd just laugh and mock him but he had got his sister killed so he had to have some darkness in him, or maybe sharing a body with the spirit had tainted him or something or being sent to the Shadow Realm, Mai had been sent to the Shadow Realm and she'd had problems with that evil Seal of Orichelcos. He was scared he'd been cursed and that was why his father had died. He was fed up of thinking these things, feelings this guilt and suffering alone in the silent darkness, he was fed up of this stupid hopeless life he was living.

Ryo stood and went into the kitchen, flicking on the light as he went, he could do with a refreshing glass of water. Eating would probably be better but he hadn't been hungry in a while, he hadn't been eating or sleeping well and even when he did sleep the nightmares ravished him. Sighing sadly his eyes found there way to the kitchen knives, sitting innocently on the counter in their neat little rack.

Hesitantly he reached out and picked one up, the biggest one. It glinted whenever a lightening flash from outside landed on it, it begged him to use it. Ryo stared at it for a long while before holding it to his pale flesh and slicing through it.

A gasp escaped him as he watched the trickle of blood from the wound, some said cutting yourself made you feel better so… he brought the knife across his arm again. And again. And again. And again. And again.

He only stopped when the knife slipped from his grip and his knees buckled beneath him causing him to collapse in the pool of his scarlet blood. He looked shakily at his arm, it was more crimson than flesh colored now. It hurt but the pain was becoming less, he figured he'd gone too far with the whole cutting thing.

He hadn't the strength to raise his head, let alone reach for the phone and calling for help would alert nobody, the nameless neighbours would never hear him, morbidly he wondered how long it would take to find his body.

Dying couldn't be that bad anyway, his whole family were dead and he'd join them soon. He smiled to himself as he realized he wouldn't be alone anymore, or afraid anymore. He hoped so anyway, thinking was becoming hard and so was keeping his eyes open. His eyelids were so, so heavy it was unbelievable. What was the point in fighting it anyway? He needed the sleep and he was tired, so very tired…

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Note: Review if you want Ryo to live


	2. II: The Discovery

Note: Still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, etc. And thanks to the two people who reviewed

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Yugi ran rapidly through the streets, dashing through the pelting rain hammering down on him from the dark. He felt like kicking himself as he dodged between the bright flashes of lightening illuminating his path, how could he have forgotten Bakura's birthday!

He pulled to a halt outside Bakura's door panting for breath as he knocked on the door, nowhere had been open to buy him a gift or a card or anything but he felt he should at least apologize, at the very least Bakura deserved an apology. He waiting patiently but there was no answer, Yugi could see a light inside so he assumed Bakura was awake.

"Bakura! It's me Yugi, please open up!" Yugi called over the crashing rain as he thumped the door again but still no answer, "look I know you're mad that we forgot your birthday but please, let me apologize. It's freezing out here," he added shivering and waited some more.

Yugi sighed mournfully but the house stayed silent and the door stayed firmly closed, Bakura didn't seem to have any intention of even speaking to him. He felt a stab of guilt in his heart, he had wished for friends and then we he actually had some he forgot their birthdays. Sadly he started to slowly trek away before curiosity got the better of him and he moved over to the large window beside the door and peered inside.

He saw the shadowy front room but the door to the kitchen was open with light shining from it, just enough to see a white haired figure slumped onto the floor. His heart clenched panicked in his chest, was Bakura hurt?

Suddenly scared Yugi ran back to the door and looked around for the spare key he knew Bakura kept there and found it above the door. With trembling fingers he unlocked the door and ran to Bakura's fallen form in the kitchen, gasping when he noticed Bakura was slumped in a pool of thick red blood.

"Bakura?" Yugi questioned terrified as he gently shook his friend's shoulder but Bakura didn't even flinch, his eyes were closed.

Feeling his heart pounding in his chest he grabbed the phone on the counter and dialled 911, praying Bakura would live. He couldn't believe Bakura had tried to kill himself, he had seemed down lately but suicide? Swallowing, his violet eyes sadly trailed the spider web of crimson lines on Bakura's arm, how could he do this to himself?

"This is 911, how can we help you?" came the nasal voice of a woman on the other end of the line.

"Hello, my friend needs help like now!" Yugi exclaimed.

"What appears to be the problem?"

"I… I think he tried to kill himself," Yugi stammered nervously, "there-there's blood and cuts all on his arm… please you have to help him."

"Calm down, does he have a pulse?"

"I-I don't know."

"Check for a pulse and give me the address, I'll send an ambulance right away. Then find some fabric and wrap it around his injured arm and hold it above his head, okay sweetie?" explained the woman kindly.

"O-Okay," Yugi gulped as he shakily as he tried to find any hint of a pulse, to his immense relief there was one but it was so faint he could barely feel it, he said as much before giving her Bakura's address.

Putting down the phone he took off hjs jacket and wrapped it around Bakura's bloody arm and held it above his head as he had been instructed. His friend still did not awake, nor react in any way. Tears welled miserably in his guilt-ridden eyes, some friend he was, he thought sadly as tears leaked from his eyes.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry," Yugi whispered even though he doubted he was being heard, "happy birthday Ryo."

Thankfully the ambulance didn't take long to arrive and the paramedics rushed in and moved Yugi aside to work on Bakura with all their medical stuff. Yugi watched silently from the front room as they tried to save his life. Yugi dropped his head miserably to stare at the dark carpet beneath his feet and noticed a balled piece of paper, curiously he picked it up and widened his eyes in shock, Bakura's father was dead?

"Are you coming kid?" asked one of the paramedics and Yugi looked up to see Bakura loaded onto a stretched and being taken outside to the ambulance.

"Yes," Yugi agreed and raced out with them and clambered into the back of the ambulance before it whizzed away into the thunderous night with the screech of the siren piercing the once peaceful darkness.

They arrived at the hospital and Bakura was taken away to be seen to, Yugi was told to wait in the waiting area which he obediently did so. Taking a seat he wrapped his arms around his shivering body and stared sadly at the smooth ground, hoping, praying that Bakura would be okay.

How could he have been so blind? He knew Bakura had been down lately but obviously he hadn't realized how much he was suffering, millions of cold questioned stabbed at him, why hadn't he known? Why hadn't he asked him what was wrong? Why hadn't he been there for him? He knew beating himself up would solve nothing but the guilt continued to bear down on him heavily.

Yugi realized his Grandpa would probably be worried but he couldn't be bothered to go find a pay phone, besides he might miss any news of Bakura. Time dragged by, agonizing minutes passed like hours, the night slipped away and the sun gradually rose but still no news of his friend. After what seemed like a lifetime a doctor emerged from one of the corridors.

"Are you here for Ryo Bakura?" asked the gruff man.

"Yes!" exclaimed Yugi jumping eagerly to his feet and looking desperately at the doctor.

"Are you family?"

"I'm a friend, we go to school together," Yugi explained, "so how is he?"

"I'd rather speak to some family, no offence."

"He doesn't have any family," Yugi told him realizing it was true.

"Oh… well his condition was touch and go for awhile but he's stable for now, I'm still not sure of he'll pull through as he lost a lot a blood and he has a rare blood type too which makes transfusions harder," the doctor reluctantly informed him, "he still has a decent chance of survival, the next 24 hours will be crucial but as I said for now he's stable."

"That's a relief," Yugi muttered allowing a relieved sigh, "can I see him?"

"Sure, right this way."

Yugi followed the doctor through the corridors before entering a small side room with a lone bed in the centre, with Bakura lying on it. He looked ill lying there, so pale and thin with his white hair spread across the graying pillow while his injured arm was now cloaked in bandages. Yugi pulled up the old chair in the corner and sat carefully not taking his eyes from Bakura.

He realized he had school in a few hours but failed to care, he had let Bakura down before but not again. He vowed to stay by his side until he woke up… or until he died but Yugi hoped the latter wouldn't be so, he hoped it a lot…

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Note: Review if you wanna know what happens


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